The Geocache of the Week takes us to a striking location. The New Zealand beach looks like a scene from a science fiction movie.

The Moeraki Boulders (North Otago) (GC124MY) is a difficulty one, terrain two EarthCache located just south of Oamaru, New Zealand.

Local Maori legend has it that the boulders are the remains of eel baskets, kumara (sweet potato), and calabashes (a long, squash-like melon grown on a vine) that washed ashore from the wreck of a large sailing canoe hundreds of years ago.

Scientists explain that the boulders were formed over the course of millions of years by a layering process similar to the formation of oyster pearls. The seabed was lifted to form coastal cliffs that have eroded over time causing the boulders to tumble onto the beach.

boulder with septaria cracks

The boulders are impossible to miss. Some are up to four meters (13 feet) in circumference and egg shaped.

Since the creation of the cache by tomsqrd in 2007, nearly 200 geocachers have logged a visit to this magnificent attraction, awarded it 30 Favorite Points, and shared an incredible 436 images.

One geocacher logging a visit writes, “What a great location to come to and explore! Really enjoyed the walk on the beach. It is quite amazing how spherical the concretions are. Thanks for an added reason to stop on my drive south!”

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com